Federal court limits calendar due to budget cuts

DENVER (AP) -- With federal prosecutors bracing for looming furloughs, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Colorado has ordered that no criminal hearings or trials will be heard on Fridays from April 26 through Sept. 30.

In addition, Judge Marcia Krieger said in her order Monday that no criminal trials or hearings requiring a federal public defender will be held this Friday or on April 12 either.

Krieger wrote that the U.S. attorney's office, federal public defender and the U.S. Marshal for Colorado have indicated they face mandated furloughs due to federal budget cuts.

The Denver Post reports (http://bit.ly/YQpBre) that suspects' mandatory first appearances before magistrate judges can still occur on Fridays.

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